Crimson Meets Amethyst
by RedCrane
Summary: My first Yugioh Yaoi fic! Main pairing is YamixYuugi aka Puzzleshipping, but there is also Tendershipping, Bronzeshipping, and Puppyshipping! Summary: Yugi dreams of finding love, the one true love to stay with forever. Meanwhile, Yami is searching for a boy from his past, who claimed his heart a decade earlier. Could each boy be exactly what the other needs and wants?
1. Chapter 1

**[[ Hey everybody, looks like I _finally_ had to do a puzzleshipping/ yugioh yaoi fanfic! Yugioh, yugioh yaoi, and _especially_ Puzzleshipping are my liiife c: In all seriousness though, Yami x Yuugi has changed my life and made me a better person, and it got me through some really tough times. If you guys have the chance, read "_Seniors, Freshmen, and a Learning Experience" _and _"Sophomores, Freshmen, and a Love Story" _both by ClassyVenus on , and_ "High School Love" _by Yugisgirl on . These three stories are the most important to me out of all, I hold them in the highest regard. ANYWAY! Enough of my fanboying. (Yes, I'm a BOY uke, -gasp-) Time for the fic. Btw, pleeease please please if you enjoy the story, leave a review, I'm even open to constructive criticism if you've got it. Just NO FLAMING. YAOI. BOY X BOY, YAMI X YUUGI, BAKURA X RYOU, MARIK X MALIK etc. GAY ROMANCE. DON'T LIKE? DONT READ. Ok, now that the warnings out of the way...enjoy:) ]]**

Yuugi was reminded, today, of the day years into the past when he, then age 6, had dropped an open tray of wet watercolor paints in art class. At first, he'd been laughed at, wide amethyst eyes glimmering with embarrassed tears. When the teacher's hand had landed on his tiny shoulder, he had jumped with a startled whimper, turning to face her. He had thought he was in trouble, but she was...smiling?

"Yuugi-chan..." [1] she said, gently, the boy nodding to show he was listening.

"Look at the colors, not the mess...see? All of those beautiful colors are blending, like they were meant to be put together. It's pretty, isn't it?"

Yuugi blinked, looking closely, as she'd told him to. It _was_ beautiful...Just like the sky that hung overhead today, 10 years later. He shook his head to clear it, blonde bangs swaying with the motion. He didn't know why the sky brought back _that _memory of all things. After all, he'd seen many more beautiful things over the past decade, most of them a lot more pretty than _spilled paint_...Maybe it was a sign of things to come?

He shrugged as he walked into the first building of Domino Gakuen. [2] Freshman year began today. He looked around the hallways that were quite vast both in size and differences compared to his old middle school

_So many students..._ he thought, gazing timidly at the mobs of people caught in the flow of traffic. He didn't recognize _anybody..._

Yuugi was beginning to feel really intimidated, his gaze shifting lower and lower as it darted about, looking for even ONE familiar face. Just as his eyes had his shoes, a vibrant voice and a maybe-just-a-_bit_-harder-than-neccessary clap on the back caught (or maybe grabbed would be more accurate) his attention.

"Hey, Yuugi, you made it! I _knew _you'd get through entrance exams if _I_ managed 'em!" Katsuya Jounouchi nearly shouted in Yuugi's face, yet the significantly shorter freshman only giggled at his best friend's antics. He had really missed the blond over the hectic summer break.

"Jou, do you really wanna shout that in the hallway?" he retorted playfully, earning a fake gasp from Jounouchi followed closely by a headlock/ hair- ruffling combo from said blonde, who was "teaching Yuugi a lesson" in his own words.

"Jounouchi, remember what I said about having to be more careful?" Another boy said. His pointed brown hair and eyes that matched his hair perfectly gave Hiroto Honda a serene air about him, though such wasn't indicative of his entire personality. He and Jounouchi had been, and still could be, quite the pair of troublemakes.

"People like Yuugi and Ryou are more fragile than you are, so you have to be gentler with them, it's not like they'll slug you if you hurt them, like we would each other!" he added. Jounouchi's face was very veeery skeptical, though just in case, he let Yuugi go, much to the other's amusement.

"Jou, I'm not a glass figurine, I won't break into pieces or anything. Honda-kun is just messing with you! Right, Honda?" Yuugi said, looking up at both taller boys in turn. Honda waited a moment before smirking, then smiling, then all out grinning as he burst out laughing.

"Of course I was just messing! He's just too easy!" Honda said, throwing his arm around Jounouchi's shoulders as the blond half laughed, half glared at him.

"Laugh it up, Honda. Go riiight ahead." He murmured loud enough so they both could hear, his tone threatening and strained, but in such a way that it was obvious he was joking as well.

As the three teens shared another laugh, a boy far closer to Yuugi's height, only about 4 centimeters taller than him, walked over to join them. His snow white hair, accented by chocolate-colored eyes that were always warm and gentle like doe's eyes, always set Ryou Bakura apart from the majority of students and citizens in Domino City, though there were people like Yuugi who's hair far "out-wilded" his own. And yes. Yuugi's hair was natural, just like Ryou's.

"I'm missing out on something really funny, aren't I?" Ryou said with a wide smile that told of his own amusement at the scene.

Honda was quick to fill him in.

"I was just pointing out how gullible Jounouchi is." He said, as if it were some obvious, "everyday knowledge" kind of "fact." This promptly earned him a smack in the head from Jounouchi himself, though the blonde still smirked amiably.

"Ryou!" Yuugi exclaimed quite excitedly, dashing closer to and sharing a hug with Ryou. Ryou returned the gesture just as happily. Jounouchi _was_ Yuugi's best friend, ever since 2nd grade, but Ryou and Yuugi were just as close, though in a way that was "far more giiiirly," in Jounouchi's words. After saying all of the usual "I missed you's" and "It's great to see you again's" that always came with Yuugi and Ryou meeting after a while had passed, the four headed to homeroom, luck deciding to be merciful and let them all have the same first room of the day. Upon entering, Jounouchi and Honda had launched into a back and forth "discussion" about who knows what. Taking seats next to each other, Yuugi and Ryou began their own conversation, their own quiet voices nearly being swallowed up by the background noise, though they could still hear each other.

"So, Yuugi," Ryou said excitedly. "Bakura goes to this school, too! He passed the entrance exam no problem last year!" His pale cheeks had gained a light rosy blush tot hem as he spoke. Yuugi smiled knowingly; Ryou had had a major crush on the older boy since the end of elementary school , and said crush had grown increasingly stronger over the course of middle school. When Bakura Necrophades had graduated from middle school, Ryou had nearly gone into a frenzy of worry because he hadn't known where Bakura would end up for high school. If they had ended up not attending the same school, then any chance Ryou would have had at winning Bakura's heart would have been tossed out the window. Fortunately, such was not the case.

"That's _great_, Ryou!" Yuugi said, a wider smile lighting up his own features. "Maybe I'll find someone this year, too!"

Ryou grinned and nodded.

"I hope things work out for us both. Malik can't be the only one with a boyfriend _forever_!" Ryou said, giggling at the end. Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted, though neither boy minded when they saw who it was.

"I heard my name!" Malik said, pearly white teeth contrasting with his flawless bronze-colored skin as he laughed. "You guys talking shit on me behind my back?" It was obvious that he was joking, his raised platinum-blonde eyebrow only making it funnier to the trio.

"It's so great to see you guys again. I love Egypt and all, but it kinda sucked without you guys around. At least Marik was there..." he said as they all three shared a hug. "Still, it just wasn't the same."

For about half an hour, the three friends talked idly but interestedly, making up for time lost over summer vacation. Sure, Ryou and Yuugi had hung out a _few_ times, but not as much as they'd have liked. When Ryuji Otogi, the last member of their "group" sidled in a few minutes before the bell, the three teens waved excitedly to him, Jounouchi and Honda coming over as well. Otogi's long black hair, tied back as always, looked especially nice that day, as well as the black makeup around his eyes.

"Gotta look good for the first day, right?" Otogi said. Jounouchi scoffed.

"Riiight..." he said. "You take that long to get ready _every_ day, Otogi. You spend half your life in front of that mirror." The group of reunited friends laughed together once again, and any hints of loneliness from missing one's friends vanished from their hearts. Laughter really _was_ the best medicine.

As his friends continued to talk, Yuugi stared out the window, his amethyst eyes holding a distant look. He really was happy to see all of his friends, truly, truly glad, but he had really meant what he'd said to Ryou; Yuugi had always dreamed of falling in love, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever catch a boy's eye...

**Across campus, in building III**

"Dammit, guys!" Atem "Yami" Akhnemkhanen fumed as he rubbed the spot on his head that his two friends had just smacked simultaneously. His deep crimson eyes were a narrowed as he glared at them. Marik and Bakura just laughed at their friend's reaction.

"It's not our fault you were zoning again!" Marik Tokoshie said, looking like he'd smack him again any minute, and would enjoy every second of it. Bakura Necrophades, not one to be left out, laughed his sinister-sounding-by-default laugh, ruffling Yami's tricolored hair, much to the outrage of the targeted teenager.

"You were staring at that window like it owed you money! Either you've suddenly developed an interest in breaking glass, or you were thinking about something _really_ hard."

Yami finally shoved them both off of him, after which they landed on the hardwood floor of Yami's apartment, laughing their asses off like the couple of lunatics many people took them for.

"You were thinking about that brat again, weren't you?" Bakura said rather gruffly. When Yami didn't answer he scoffed. "Man, you don't even know the kid's _name_! You met him 10 years ago! Gods, Yami, there's no chance of you seeing the kid again. You should've talked to him when you had the chance instead of being a spineless pussy about it and "watching him from afar" instead."

Marik added in with a scoff of his own,

"Yami didn't want to corrupt the kid's innocence, remember?" the Egyptian said as if it were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. Honestly, it was high up on the list.. Yami rolled his crimson eyes and stood up, stretching.

"Eloquent as ever, I see. You two never seem to disappoint." he said, so sarcastic one could almost see it dripping from his words.

"Well, whatever. I just cant stop, guys. Ever since the day I met him, I just...couldn't get him out of my head." Bakura smirked, though this half smile was far less scathing.

"You've got it bad, man." he said. Yami smirked himself.

" At least I never stalked him like you did to that Ryou kid. I'm surprised you didn't just jump him, that seems more your style."

Checking the time, that read 1:45 PM, Marik interrupted them.

"As meaningful as trading insults is, we gotta get going, guys. We'll be in deep shit with Hayasahi-sensei if we're late again. I swear he was about to publicly execute us last year."

Collectively pausing to think about how wrathful the English teacher could be, they simultaneously hurried out of the room, deciding it would be best to be safe rather than sorry. Jogging across campus and into the entrance of Bulding I, the three Sophomores rushed towards the English 2 classroom. Yami suddenly cursed, breaking off from the group to go down another hallway to his locker. "I left my textbook! Cover for me!"

His two friends nodded as they ran on, and Yami rounded a corner at a near sprint, crashing hard into a body heading in the other direction at full speed. A muffled "oof!" was the only warning he got before the person he'd ran into toppled onto the linoleum floor. Yami gasped. The boy looked almost identical to him, though he was far shorter, had amethyst eyes instead of irises of ruby red, and his face was rounder, more childish and innocent. Aside from a blonde bang here or there, their hair was exactly the same, long wavy blond bangs like lightning bolts framing their faces, the rest of their hair being black with deep magenta tips. And YES. It WAS natural, thank you very much.

"Y-you!" Yami said in shock. It was the boy who-!

The sophomore snapped out of his shock and reverie when he noticed the cause of the other boy's great hurry. Ushio was stalking towards the younger boy with tricoloured hair, a menacing, (stupid was more like it, to Yami) smirk on his bulky head that matched his bulky frame. Upon seeing Yami, he stopped, paling a bit. Yami was only a sophomore, yet he was already one of the most popular boys at the entire school. But aside from his social strength, Yami had taught Ushio the hard way that Yami was _not_ one to be messed with. Ever. Thinking about it made him cringe, both in humiliation and fear.

-_flashback_-

_ Yami had been walking with his hands in his pockets, a new freshman at Domino Gakuen, gazing about with a cool demeanor on his face. Math had sucked that day. Suddenly, when he had been looking away, the crimson-eyed teen walked into what he'd originally assumed to be a wall. It soon proved otherwise as large, meaty hands clenched around his collar, pulling him harshly to stare into narrowed, glowering (stupid, Yami thought) eyes_

_ "Watch where the fuck you're going!" the oversized freshman growled. (Grunted was more like it...) "Don't you know who I am!"_

_ Yami rolled his eyes. "No, I don't, lucky me. Why don't fill me in on what it is I'm missing." The large bully snarled and shook Yami by the collar._

_ "Don't you disrespect me! I'll teach you what happens when you get a big head with Ushio!"_

_ He wound up and hurled a punch at Yami's face. The shorter of the two narrowed his deep ruby eyes and caught Ushio's arm by the wrist, dodging the punch as well. His grip was like iron, Ushio found out as he tried to pull his hand back. It was too late, however, as Yami swept his legs from under him as Yami's fist collided hard with Ushio's face. He went down like a ton of bricks, with just as much sound as one too. Yami didn't leave him with any threats or finishing blows, even, which confused Ushio to no end. All Yami did was look down at him and sigh, shaking his head as he walked off again._

-_end flashback_-

Ushio had never gotten over that embarrassment, and still feared Yami after a whole year had passed. Seeing pure rage pass over Yami's regal features didn't help Ushio with looking unshakable either. The snarl that came from Yami next was the finishing blow.

"What do you think you're doing?" Yami snapped. Ushio flinched visibly and stammered.

"I uh I-I..Nothing Yami!...san? I was just leaving!" Yami rolled his eyes as Ushio rushed off with his tail between his legs. Kneeling down, Yami helped his doppelganger up.

"Are you ok..?" Yami asked gently, locking crimson with amethyst. The boy whose shoulders he was carefully holding on to blushed, and the blush only became darker the longer their eyes met. Slowly the smaller boy nodded.

"I-I'm fine..." he said shyly, averting his eyes as he spoke. "Thanks for helping me..."

Yami smiled warmly. "It was no problem at all." he said.

"Yami Akhnemkhanen, pleasure to meet you. What's _your_ name?" The question meant so much more to Yami than the other male could've known, but he answered nonetheless."

"Mutou Yuugi...nice to meet you too." Yuugi said with a smile. Just as Yami was about to say something more, the bell rang in its shrill caucophony of metal-on-metal, snapping them both out of the moment.

"...we should probably get to class." Yuugi said with a small giggle, earning a laugh from Yami as well.

"What room do you have now?" Yami asked the shorter of the two. Yuugi looked down at the paper in his hand, scanning it quickly.

"Um...English 2, it says, but I'm a freshman...that can't be right, can it?" he asked, gazing up at Yami with wide, innocent eyes. Yami had to swallow before talking.

"It's probably because of your entrance exam marks." he said. "You showed a good grasp of the basics, I guess, and thats all English 1 really teaches you. So it looks to me like you're headed to the right place after all. Would you mind if I walked you there?" That blush once again blossomed across the smaller teen's soft cheekbones, and he smiled timidly.

"I'd...I'd like that, but you have to get to your own class, right?" he said. He was confused when Yami laughed, but his smile grew when he received his answer:

"We have the same class to get to. English 2 is my next period as well. The teacher is a real hardass though, so we should hurry, ok?"

As Yami looked down at his companion, leading him towards the classroom, crimson and amethyst meeting once more with wide smiles, both boys found themselves thinking the same thing:

_Could this be the one I've been looking for...?_


	2. Chapter 2

**FIRST: Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers so far! You guys leaving those reviews are what keeps me going c: Anyway, the last chapter was rather "all over the place," but that was because the main characters all had to be introduced in a rather short period of time. This chapter and the ones that follow will be more precise. I hope I don't make the POV's too confusing...**

**Anyway, enjoy chapter two!**

_**Domino Gakuen, Freshman Locker Hallway**_

Looking closely, one could almost see the stars that were floating about in Yuugi's head. _That_...was certainly unexpected.

He had run into Ushio, unintentionally, and had run as quick as he could to escape the wrathful sophomore. He had been worried he'd be overtaken by Ushio, but not once had he expected to run into somebody. _Especially_ not somebody who had sent Ushio cowering with little more than a word and a harsh look. Even more surprising was the fact that he and his newfound savior looked almost identical. _That_ certainly didn't happen every day...Throw in the fact that said savior was _Akhnemkhanen Yami_ of all people, one of the most popular students in the school, _and _ the fact that he was basically sex incarnate, and Yuugi couldn't believe his eyes.

Originally, Yuugi had believed that Yami had only stood up for him because he'd felt some sort of pity towards the smaller boy. Yami quickly dashed those thoughts, however, when he began to just..._talk _to the younger teen. Not many people, aside from Yuugi's small group of friends, ever took the time to just _talk_ to him. And Yami was surprisingly easy to talk to, a godsend to Yuugi, who had always had trouble talking to people he'd just met, due to his innate shyness.

The two had talked about whatever came to their mind as they walked to class, finding out that they both loved games, especially Duel Monsters, they both favored many of the same cards in said game, they both had similar tastes in music and books, _and_ in foods, and that they both had a remarkably similar schedule! If this had been a cliché romance novel, which Yuugi had begrudgingly admitted to reading with quite the blush on his face, they would've had all the same classes. Unfortunately, such was not the case.

It _was_, however, the next best thing; Yami and Yuugi shared English, Math, Science, Lunch, and Art class. Yuugi had done _exceedingly_ well on his entrance exams, apparently. To make things even better, it turned out the the classes that the two did NOT share were quite close to one another, either in adjacent classrooms or at the least in the same hallway. The only period they wouldn't be in the same area was the second to last period of the day, during which Yuugi had History, while Yami had a free period, earned by the sophomore when he had completed his final exams with near perfect scores the previous year.

_How lucky! _ Yuugi thought with a smile as he shut his locker. His new friend, who he just _might_ have been developing a crush on, was going to be easier to spend time with than Yuugi had thought. His smile fell a bit, though, as he felt a little doubt worm its way into his heart.

What if he got on Yami's nerves? What if he was just a burden on the older teen? What if it really WAS just pity, and Yuugi was just deluding himself? What if Yami was just setting him up for a fall? What if-

He was snapped out of his whirlwind of thoughts as a newly familiar voice called his name.

"Yuugi!" Yami said amiably as he walked over to his shorted doppelganger. "I thought I'd be too late and I'd miss you! Glad I caught you while I had the chance. Listen..." Yami paused for a moment, as if calculating his words, and Yuugi just _knew _it...Yami was thinking of how to gently say to Yuugi that he didn't want to hang around the amethyst-eyed boy, wasn't he? Well at least he was nice enough to-

"Do you wanna hang out today? If you've got nothing else to do, I mean." Yuugi blinked in surprise. That wasn't what he'd expected...No, that was far far _better_ than what he'd expected! A smile spread on his face before the fact that Yami had asked him a _question_ sank in.

"S-sure!" he answered, hoping he didn't sound _too_ eager. After all, it wouldn't do to admit to his crush so soon, would it? "Sorry for zoning, long day I guess."

Yami raised his eyebrow but with a half smile, half smirk, his air of confidence back in place.

"It's no problem, Yuugi, but you really should relax. All that stressing will give you wrinkles." Yami teased jokingly, eliciting a laugh from Yuugi as well.

"Do you have anywhere in mind for where you'd like to go?" Yami asked. Yuugi shook his head with a smile of his own.

"Not really, but if you don't mind, I'd like to get something to eat, I'm kinda hungry..." he said, smiling sheepishly with a hand on his stomach. Yami only laughed and nodded.

"Alright then, we'll go and get some food, then I'll take you to some favorite places of mine, if you'd like." he said, smiling wider when Yuugi nodded in approval.

As the two of them headed out, Yuugi found himself thinking.

_This sounds an awful lot like a date...No, Yuugi, don't get ahead of yourself..._

_**Burger World, Downtown Domino City**_

__Yami was very happy he had come to school in one of his nicer cars. Yes, cars _plural_. There were many perks to being the only son of one of the most wealthy families in all of japan. The reason for him being so happy today in parituclar, however, was because of Yuugi's reaction to the car. His already wide amethyst eyes had gone as big as dinner plates and his gaping mouth left him looking like a beached fish.

It had been quite, quite amusing. And endearing. Yuugi was just too cute. Yami had no trouble admitting to himself that he liked the younger boy; after all, he knew full well that Yuugi was the boy he'd had his eyes on for a little more than ten years. Ever since that day...

_**-flashback-**_

_Yami had been coloring a drawing he'd done of some random birds in a photo on the wall. Honestly, he had found the subject of the picture to be really boring, and was only focusing on the coloring because that was the only fun part so far. His bright red eyes darted up as he heard a loud clatter of plastic meeting linoleum tile. His classmate...was his name Yuugi?...had just dropped a whole tray of wet paints onto the once-pristine white floor, and the purple-eyed boy looked as red as a tomato as his classmates burst into laughter. Yami wasn't amused, especially as he saw tears shimmering in those amethyst depths. This wasn't funny...it was cruel of his classmates to laugh like this over such a simple mistake. He was about to go and stand up for his classmate (Yami had always been the type of boy to rise against injustice and cruelty, and would always "stick up for the little guy,"much to the pride of his parents) but when their art teacher pointed at something, whispering to Yuugi (Yami couldn't hear it from his place across the room) and the boy blinked, then smiled, Yami gasped lightly, something he didn't find himself doing often. Yuugi -Yami would NOT be forgetting his name any time soon- seemed to glow with the wide, bright and innocent smile. He was so...Yami couldn't think of the word..._

**_-__end flashback-_**

Now that he thought about it, that was the day that Yami realized he was gay. Yuugi really had changed his life...

As the two of them sat, waiting for their orders to be cooked, Yuugi seemed to be even more shy than Yami had first thought. Not that he minded, in fact, it was endearing to him, but he felt like he should do something to alleviate the younger boy's anxiety, and so he talked about something he thought could distract Yuugi for at least a little while: clothing.

"I've only seen you in uniform, Yuugi, so I'm curious...What do you like to wear normally?" he asked in an easy tone, everything about him in that moment saying "calm and amiable." Yuugi had to think a bit, not really having been much of a fashion enthusiast.

"Just...jeans and t-shirts..?" Yuugi said, smiling sheepishly, pink dusting his cheeks. Yami smiled and chuckled a bit, but it was obvious his laughter wasn't scathing, just amused. "What do you like to wear, Yami?"

Yami let a smirk spread slowly across his features. "Leather." he said simply. His smirk spread further as Yuugi blinked slowly and began blushing anew. His thoughts were written all over his face, all too clear to Yami, who, while at the same time being amused and uplifted by how _cute_ Yuugi was in seemingly every situation, also felt both flattered that Yuugi would have such a reaction over him, and rather..hopeful. If Yami was seeing correctly, Yuugi was becoming quite strongly attracted to the crimson-eyed boy. And _that_ meant...that there may have been a real chance for the two of them to become...more than friends. Just that thought was enough to make Yami grin as he asked,

"Well, when we get out of here, would you like to go and try on some clothes? Kind of like a makeover for your wardrobe, not that you need one. It just may be fun."

Yuugi paused, causing Yami to worry a bit that he may have gone too far too quickly, but then his answer eliminated the sophomore's doubts.

"U-um...Sure!" Yuugi said with a bright smile. "I won't be able to buy anything though, so it'll just be for fun."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Yami said, though he said nothing more on that as their burgers were delivered to their table. Yuugi bit into his with vigor, and Yami was reminded that Yuugi had said his favorite food was hamburgers.

_"He wasn't kidding when he said that...he's almost half done already!"_ Yami thought with a mixture of amusement and amazement. The two of them ate in a comfortable silence, enjoying the food and the colorful atmosphere. When they had finished, they split the check only after Yuugi had strongly protested to Yami covering it all. Leaving a generous tip, they left the restaurant, and walked out to Yami's car to drive towards the shopping district. Yuugi seemed...off. Yami looked over at him when they stopped at a red light.

"You OK, Yuugi? Did you eat too fast?" he asked, only half joking when he asked the second question. Yuugi shook his head.

"N-no, it's not that, I just..." Yuugi began, his voice failing him due to his sudden nervousness. After a seemingly heated internal battle with himself, Yuugi looked over at Yami with wide eyes that had the sophomore needing to be careful to still pay attention to Yuugi's words, instead of getting lost in the amethyst depths.

"I had been wondering...This...To me, this seemed a lot like a um...well...l-like a date..." Yuugi said, cursing himself for stuttering so badly.

"I'm probably getting ahead of myself, right..? I-I mean..you didn't even know that I'm...gay...I assumed too much, right?"

Yami met eyes with Yuugi for a few long, tense moments before the older boy shook his head slowly, closing his eyes.

"Yuugi, if I were able to on a date with you, I would be more lucky than I can describe. If you want to treat this as a date, then I certainly won't complain." he said, looking into Yuugi's eyes again to show that he was one hundred percent serious.

"Wh-what?" Yuugi said, oh-so-eloquently. "B-but I..." Yami cut him off.

"Yuugi, it may not be right of me to spring this on you so suddenly, but I like you, very much. I've liked you for longer than you know, even though we only just officially met this morning. For about ten years, to be honest. I've had eyes for no one else since I first saw you."

Yuugi was dumbfounded, his face bright, bright red, almost the tone of Yami's eyes. Yami..._Yami_..._LIKED_ him...? Ten _years? _He didn't know what to say as his heart beat like a staccato drum. He opened his mouth to speak, eyes wide, closed his mouth, then opened in again and began with,

"I...I..." Yami could only watch in both excited and torturously anxious anticipation.

_**(LOOOONG Stoplight, huh?XD I wonder what Yuugi's response will be..?)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**I LIVE ONCE MORE. Thanks to everybody for being patient, I don't really deserve it haha.**

**BTW, I've decided to do away with the "POV switches," and instead to let the writing indicate who s talking, thinking and feeling. Hopefully it's a good choice... Also, this chapter has Yami and Yuugi mentioning "Visual Kei." For those who don't know, Visual Kei is a Japanese genre of rock music characterized by its unique style of dress and striking hair and makeup designs. While Yami and Yuugi's hair is naturally tricolored and wild, they get their image directly from Visual Kei, not goth, not emo, or anything like that. Thank X Japan for the godly image of Yami in leather pants *_***

**Feel free to leave some comments~**

**Domino City, Japan. Intersection of 4th and 5th street, Yami's car**

"I-I..."

Yuugi's heart was on a rampage today. It skipped and pounded, speeding up more and more it seemed as the day went on.

_This_, however...

This was another level.

_ He...he LIKES me?..._ Yuugi thought as he stumbled over his words, Yami meanwhile waiting quietly for him to say something as the stoplight turned green, traffic moving once more.

Yuugi was elated. He was ecstatic. He was excited and flattered and overjoyed and...

Conflicted.

_He says he's been crushing on me...For just over ten YEARS...?_ He thought, uncertainty tumultuously swirling around in the pit of his stomach. Unfortunately, years of rejection, bullying and isolation by his peers had taught him how cruel his classmates could be, as well as dealing a harsh blow to his confidence.

_Why me..? Why, out of everyone in the city, no in the country...why would he choose me? He could just...could just take his pick from anybody? What if...What if he still wants to just lead me on...? No!..No, Yami would never too that, he's too..._

The more he thought, the worse he felt, his emotions playing on his face, painting a clear picture to Yami from the passenger seat. He had made Yuugi uncomfortable with his confession. He'd blown it! _Shit..._

Just as he had been about to say something, to play off his statement as a joke, to try and take it back, to say _anything_ to make Yuugi comfortable around him again...Yuugi spoke.

"..kind..." Yuugi said.

Yami stared for just a second, not sure he heard right. He had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road as Yuugi kept talking. Turning his head to face Yami once more, Yuugi smiled.

"You're too kind to be leading me on. I was...I worried that maybe this could've been like every other "confession" I'd gotten before. I'd get set up and knocked down, just so someone could have something to laugh about. But..."

Yuugi looked forward, out of the windshield, as if he was collecting his thoughts, before he looked back at his scarlet-eyed suitor, and smiled again.

"But you're too kind for that. You're just not the kind of person who would do that."

Yami's eyes went wide. _Kind...?_ He thought. He had been called a lot of things before. Cool, handsome, hot, sexy, dark, or from a lot of the guys in the school, still cool, but strong, too smart, competition, and a lot of other things as well. But _kind_...that was new. And nice, if the feeling he had that moment was anything to go by, a small smile gracing his features.

Yuugi's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"It scares me," Yuugi said, and Yami's heart sank for a moment. Did Yuugi not return any feelings at all? None whatsoever?

"But...even if it's scary...i do like you, Yami. I really do. I mean..I-I don't know if you were looking for a relationship of anything, but...but I'd certainly be happy." Yuugi finished with, his cheeks flaming a bright cherry red, his violet eyes diverted, the very picture of shyness and timidity.

Yami, on the other hand, nearly crashed into a telephone pole.

He had honestly never pictured himself as the "fluttery" type, but his heart and head had other plans upon hearing Yuugi's admission. He quickly collected his thoughts as he parked outside of a row of shops in the middle of the Shopping District, a bit relieved that they'd reached their destination with such impeccable timing.

As both boys climbed out of the car, Yami allowed himself a smile. It hadn't exactly been a confession of undying, passionate love, but...he had a chance. A really, really _good_ chance. Yuugi liked him; that meant that finally, FINALLY, after ten long years of distant admiration and loving from afar, Yami could actually start making Yuugi his!

"Yami...you're grinning." Yuugi said, having quietly rounded the car, standing by Yami. And it was true, as his thoughts had meandered, Yami's small smile had bloomed into a full blown grin, a far bigger smile than he'd worn in quite a long time. Blinking a bit, Yami chuckled as Yuugi's high tenor giggling filled the air as well.

"I'm jealous, even when you grin, you manage to look cool," Yuugi smiled, his cheeks a bit pink. This made Yami smile anew: Yuugi was being a bit more forward with him. It was just a bit, but it was certaintly progress from nervous stuttering. He was relieved his amethyst-eyed doppelganger was becoming more comfortable, at least around him.

"No, Yuugi, you've got a better smile than me. Cool's not as good as beautiful." Yami countered smoothly, Yuugi's pink blush predictably turned a fiercer shade of red, though the smile didn't leave his face.

As the two walked, however, Yuugi faltered a bit, not looking unhappy, but instead embarrassed. Yami raised an eyebrow, wondering what was bothering the younger male. As he was about to ask, Yuugi had gathered enough confidence to state the problem without prompting.

"U-um...Yami, I..." Yuugi swallowed, looking away for a moment as Yami looked at him curiously. "I don't..really..know how to be in a relationship.." Yuugi's voice trailed off, getting quieter with each word.

Yami blinked, then smiled, laughing a bit, reminded again that Yuugi could be quite adorable without trying to be.

"Yuugi, that's something you learn through experience. We'll go slowly and steadily, because the truth is, true, long lasting, happy relationship is built over time, not formed in an instant. Though sometimes an instant is enough, if those romance novels you like are anything to go by." Yami said, and Yuugi's smile returned as he laughed, and felt his worries lift once again.

Yami really was good at that.

Half an hour later found the companions in a clothing store that was...interesting, Yuugi felt. He certainly had'nt thought of wearing clothing like this before, but it wasn't bad clothing. He kind of liked it, actually. Looking around at all of the shelves and racks, Yuugi looked a bit lost, while Yami seemed to know exactly where he was going.

Picking up a few pairs of black leather pants, Yami was a bit surprised. There must have been a new shipment recently, there usually weren't this many pairs left. A lot of the time because Yami bought them all. He smiled at the small victory, casting a friendly smirk over his shoulder at Yuugi.

"How about you try some of these?" He proposed, holding up one of the leather trousers. Yuugi went from pale to pink in record time, partly from the image of himself in those kind of pants, and partly from the image of _Yami_ in those kind of pants. Normally he would have politely declined, but...He kinda liked them. Plus, he really didn't want to disappoint Yami, and Jii-chan _had _always told him to try new things...

"Ok," Yuugi agreed, taking the pair that Yami held out to him. Before he could go to try them on, Yami gave him another kind of pants, "PVC," Yami had called them. According to Yami, PVC suited Yuugi, though he didn't know why. The PVC pants were shiny, almost like rubber, but still looked like leather, the same shade of black as the leather ones.

It was only on the way to the dressing room that Yuugi realized he hadn't told Yami his pants size, yet the garments of clothing he'd handed Yuugi were a perfect fit.

_He did say he likes leather a lot...I guess he's got the eyes of a professional!_ The thought brought yet another smiled to Yuugi's face, and as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he found that he very much liked the clothing Yami had picked for him. Very much, indeed.

"Yuugi, come out so I can take a look. Do they fit alright?" Yami's voice carried over the stall, and Yuugi unlocked the door. As he stepped out, he was nervous, though being around Yami was proving to be quite easy, and rather soothing to the younger of the two. Upon seeing Yami, Yuugi feared the pants he'd put on may not end up "fitting so well" anymore, as the crimson-eyed sophomore had changed as well, it seemed.

Tight leather pants, the same kind Yuugi wore at that moment, clung to Yami's well-formed legs, with thee leather belts criss-crossing his waist, the same leather boots on his feet that he wore with his school uniform.

A sleeveless black shirt covered his torso, while several leather bracelets and silver bangles adorned his wrists, a choker around his neck completing the ensemble. His tanned skin, tricolored hair, and crimson eyes made him look like an intense, dark pharaoh of desire.

"A perfect fit," Yami said, ending Yugi's typhoon of thoughts.

_Perfect doesn't seem to be the right word...Those were made for him._ Yami thought. Bringing Yuugi to this store specifically was proving to be a great decision.

"Y-you think so?" Yuugi asked, looking down at himself again, unable to bring himself to disagree. Yami smirked.

"I know so. What about the PVC's, did they fit the same way?" he asked, hoping to the gods that they did. The amethyst-eyed boy nodded, the shiny black pants folded over his arm.

"Exactly the same. I kinda like them, they're really cool. Is this a Visual Kei store? These clothes are the kind I've seen X Japan in." Yuugi asked, thinking back to his and Yamis music conversation, in which they'd discovered that they'd both had the same favorite band: the legendary X Japan, founders of the Visual Kei movement, and the biggest name in Japanese rock history.

Yami smiled again, giving an enthusiastic nod. "Not just X, there's a lot of other band-designed clothing here, too. Want to take a look around?"

Yuugi couldn't help but comply.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -

The two boys spent another hour and a half in the store, half of the time dedicated to looking at all of the clothes they could, from shirts to shoes, and the other half spent as Yuugi tried to forbid Yami from buying him anything. The crimson-eyed young man wasn't hearing any of it. Their shopping spree ended with Yami carrying 5 bags, 2 for himself, and 3 for Yuugi, much to the violet-eyed boy's guilt, but flattered, frustration. Visual Kei clothing was expensive, and while Yami hadn't let him see the receipt, Yuugi was positive that Yami had spent far too much money on him.

"Is there anything else you wanted to check out?" Yami asked, his hands in his pockets, bags looped around his arms.

"Nonono that's enough money spent on me for a whole year, let alone one day." Yuugi refused. As Yami was about to disagree, Yuugi had an idea.

Turning to face Yami, a big smile on his face and his eyes sparkling, he asked,

"Do you want to go to the arcade? They just got some new games in, according to Kaiba kun."

While Yami was curious as to how Yuugi knew the brunette junior, as Seto Kaiba rarely talked to anyone at all, he was greatly excited. Another discovery from their earlier talks, the fact that they both loved games, and the same games at that, gave light to the fact that both equally loved _video_ games, as well.

"I'd love to, if you're up to some competition." He said, with a challenging but friendly smile. Yuugi grinned, but with a spark of determination in his eye.

"You're on," he said. "But I'm paying this time."

Yami argued all the way to the Gaming Center.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Pulling up into the arcade's parking lot, leaving the bags in the back of the car, the two companions in matching leather pants stepped into the arcade looking like warriors walking to the battlefield. Yami's dramatic, intense eyes had become even sharper, the confident smirk on his face back full force. More shocking, however, was Yuugi.

Normally timid and out of the way, the smaller male had an air of comfort around him, his shyness replaced by a spark of excitement that danced on his features.

Yami could have stared at this sight for hours, but Yuugi quickly found the first game he wanted to challenge Yami with: Racing. Both young men were astoundingly good at racing games, each the champion of their own social circles. It was because of this that both sat with confidence, situating their feet on the pedals and their hands on the wheel.

5 rounds later had Yuugi standing as the victor with 3 wins and two losses. Yami was dumbfounded, but also impressed. He hadn't lost that game in years. But the next game they chose held no chance of failure for the crimson- eyed sophomore:

Tekken.

Specifically, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, a recent arcade release, though Yami had been playing Tekken all his life. Taking their places at the control panels, Yami and Yugi picked out their teams, Yami deciding on his usual team of Forrest Law and Jin Kazama, while Yuugi stuck with his favorite team of Hwoarang and Miguel.

Yami was shocked. Yes, he'd won, there was no doubt about that, but it had been quite a close match. The two had quickly tied of the score, and the last fight had lasted all the way until both had only a centimeter of life in their HP gauge. Puling a combo that made Yuugi's eyes go wide, Yami finished the fight victoriously. Yuugi was an even better gamer than he'd thought, apparently. And he hadn't even played him in any sort of tabletop/board/dice/card game yet, which had turned out to be the specialty of both boys. The thought made Yami smile.

Yuugi was truly remarkable.

After many more games, the duo had decided to wrap things up with a quick match of air hockey, the only non-video game in the whole arcade. Just as with racing, both of them were sure that they could not be beaten.

Starting off with the serve, Yuugi sent the puck gliding with a surprising amount of speed, his small arms belying a latent grace. The metal disc chimed off of the metal sides of the table, and a satisfying sound rattled through the air as the puck landed soundly in Yami's goal. Awestruck for what must have been the tenth time that day, Yami took the puck back out from the receptacle, placing it on the table, taking some time to exchange some banter with Yuugi.

"Impressive shot," The taller of the two said, scarlet eyes glimmering with excitement, but also with what Yuugi could have sworn was the adoration he now knew Yami held for him. Blushing a bit, the amethyst-eyed boy smiled and teased,

"I thought you were undefeated, Yami. Don't make it too easy on me," with his own features dancing with the same...something in Yami's expression. Yuugi wasn't ready to call it love yet, but if liking someone, liking someone a lot, more than he knew he could, loving the time he spent with him and wanting to impress him while simultaneously feeling that there was no need to try and impress Yami at all could be shown on one's face, Yuugi was certain that such was the expression he wore at that moment.

-CLUNK!-

…

Yuugi looked down, then back at Yami's hands, then down again. Faster than Yuugi could have blinked, Yami had turned the tables back at Yuugi, the puck now in the shorter boy's goal. As he picked up the pick and placed it back on the table, he looked up at Yami again, expecting to see a competitive glare or a taunting glance. Instead, what he saw made him feel butterflies in his stomach and heat rising to his face for the hundredth time that day: Yami had a sweet and caring, kind and patient...loving visage on his face, and while a triumphant smirk was firmly in place on Yami's graceful features, no malice whatsoever came from him, replaced instead by what could only have been described as...love?

_Well he HAD said he's "had his eyes on me" for ten YEARS now...maybe it really is love..._

His confused thoughts and feelings were interrupted as Yami quipped,

"Come on now, don't take all day!" amusement heavy in the air, lighting up the atmosphere of the whole arcade as far as Yuugi was concerned. Grinning, he got ready to strike back.

Oh, it was SO on.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – - – – – – – – – - – – - -

The game was tied once again, 6 to 6, and both boys could feel their adrenaline filled heartbeat, hearing the pounding in their ears. Both were smiling wide smiles, loving every second of the head-to-head game.

_He's so GOOD!_ Both thought at the same time as Yuugi set up to serve for the last time. Hitting the puck with the same speed he'd shown throughout the entire game, Yuugi set the last round into motion. The puck was a blur, going back and forth, back and forth, creating a melody of metal against metal as it ricocheted around the hockey table. Suddenly, however, the "clang" that both were expecting was replaced by a "twhack," and a high gasp ripped from Yuugi's throat as the younger boy gripped his hand to his chest. He'd brought his fingers too far down the paddle and the metal puck had smashed into his fingertips.

Yami's eyes went wide and he was around the table in less than a second, putting gentle hands on Yuugi's shoulders.

"Yuugi, show me." He said gently, but firmly. "Please, Yuugi, if anything is broken I've got to take you to the hospital."

Sniffling a bit, tears gleaming in amethyst eyes and on porcelain cheeks, Yuugi slowly and Shakily outstretched his injured hand. His fingertips were already bruised, bleeding under his fingernails. Yami winced. _Oh man, that must hurt..._ he thought, but was relieved nothing was broken. As soon as the initial shock wore off, guilt flooded full force into Yami's heart. HE'D been the one who hit the puck into Yuugi's fingers.

"Yuugi, I'm sorry," he said, and Yuugi was shocked to find that Yami seemed more upset than even he did. "I'm so sorry, that was completely stupid of me. I-I shouldn't have gotten carried away like that, I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm so-"

"Yami, calm down," Yuugi said, laughing a bit through the tears on his face. "You didn't do it on purpose, right? You're gonna give yourself a panic attack like that!"

Yami didn;t know how to respond. Yuugi was...laughing? He wasn't angry? He knew it wasn't intentional? The taller of the two paused for just a moment, feeling relief once more before he pulled Yuugi close to him, enveloping him in his arms. No, they weren't near far enough in ther relationship to be called lovers, or even real boyfriends, but as far as Yami was concerned, Yuugi was what he loved most in his life, such had been his biggest truth for ten years.

_Affection is good for a budding relationship anyway..._ he thought, pleasantly surprised to feel Yuugi wrap his own smaller arms around Yami's waist, after having wiped the tears from his eyes.

Reaching carefully, Yami brushed the last tear away and smiled tenderly. "I _am_ sorry." he said for the last time. Yuugi smiled a wide smile before a giggled a bit.

"How about we just say I'm the winner for today and we call it even?" the amethyst-eyed boy proposed with a grin.

And the new couple laughed together yet again.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

_**End Chapter**_

**(A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far. I love them^_^)**


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